12/29/08 - ground zero - Have you ever wondered what would happen if a nuclear bomb goes off in your city? With Google's Maps framework and a bit of Javascript, you can see the outcome. And it does not look good. (carloslabs.com/node/16)

12/24/08 - how to bake a potato - So you want to know the best way to bake a potato? Golden, crispy brown skins and soft, tasty potato-goodness inside? It's quite simple and easy to do, and if you follow along with me I will show you how to do it every step of the way. Check out the bottom of the page for other simple kitchen instructions. (howtobakeapotato.com)

12/18/08 - electron band structure in germanium, my ass - Abstract: The exponential dependence of resistivity on temperature in germanium is found to be a great big lie. My careful theoretical modeling and painstaking experimentation reveal 1) that my equipment is crap, as are all the available texts on the subject and 2) that this whole exercise was a complete waste of my time. (pages.cs.wisc.edu/~kovar/hall.html)

12/16/08 - street with a view - On May 3rd 2008, artists Robin Hewlett and Ben Kinsley invited the Google Inc. Street View team and residents of Pittsburgh's Northside to collaborate on a series of tableaux along Sampsonia Way. Neighbors, and other participants from around the city, staged scenes ranging from a parade and a marathon, to a garage band practice, a seventeenth century sword fight, a heroic rescue and much more... (streetwithaview.com)

12/09/08 - star wars technical commentaries - These pages examine particular technical aspects of STAR WARS. The motivation of this project is to synthesise and explore a self-consistent reality for that universe. There is an emphasis on topics inadequately covered by offline references. (theforce.net/swtc)

12/04/08 - 40 days on the monorail - In 1994 there was a hydraulic braking accident on the Canadian Domain Ride at the Toronto Zoo. Roughly thirty people were injured and the decision was made to shut down the monorail and pretend it had never existed. 40 Days on the Monorail is a photographic art project by Pete Forde. Each weekday for two months, a new photo will be posted. The photos are narrated and in chronological order. (domainride.ca)